University of Hawaii System newsletter

University officials and guests celebrated the blessing of the access road to the future site of Hawaiʻi Community College–Pālamanui in March.

The new facility will be built on a 78-acre site located about a mile north of Kona International Airport on the Big Island. It is expected to be one of the most energy-efficient college complexes in the United States when it opens.

Under an agreement signed in November 2010, the university will build the $4.7 million access road to the site, and Pālamanui Partners, developers of the Pālamanui community, commit to spending an equal amount toward building the first of three planned phases of the community college project.

The campus will provide nearly 23,000 square feet of space and is expected to serve almost 700 students when the first phase is completed. It will house the University of Hawaiʻi Center in West Hawaiʻi, which will relocate from its current rented space in Kealakekua.

Designed to fit within the contours of the volcanic flows in the area, the buildings will incorporate advanced technology and sustainability features with an eye to qualifying for the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy Efficiency Design platinum designation. Photovoltaic cells, vertical access windmills and “waterless” toilets are just some of the energy-efficient features that are being incorporated into the campus design.